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US 7,404,760 B2Granted
Control wheel for an automotive air vent
AssigneeProgressive Moulded Products Limited
InventorsGeoffrey H. Bowler, Karel Caslavsky, Luliu V. Dinescu, Thomas Woegerer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A control wheel for controlling a control in an automotive vent has a resilient bushing which provides a frictional force to retain the control wheel in a desired position. The frictional force is substantially independent of tolerances of the components of the control wheel due to expected manufacturing variations.
Claims9
A control wheel for operating a control surface in an automotive vent, comprising:
- a wheel member having an attachment point to which the control can be connected;
- a shaft about which the wheel member can rotate to move the control;
- a resilient bushing mounted in a receptacle in the wheel member, the bushing having a bore engaging the shaft which passes through it and the bushing acting between the wheel member and the shaft to create a frictional force to inhibit free rotation of the wheel member about the shaft, the resilient bushing including at least one boss on its outer periphery such that when the bushing is mounted in the receptacle there is a clearance between the bushing and the receptacle except where the at least one boss engages a complementary slot in the receptacle to provide a connection between the bushing and the wheel member, the clearance being sized to accommodate expected tolerances;
- a snap cap to maintain the wheel member on the shaft;
- and
- a limit track on the wheel member and an arm on the snap cap, the arm having a portion engaging the limit track to limit the range through which the wheel member can be rotated on the shaft to a permitted range.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.